Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-10-22
GIGANTIC FRAUDS.


| Systematic Robbery Of the Government
by Dishonest Surveyors.
WAsHNeEON, D. c., October 1.-THE re-
/ pors Of the commissioner OF the general land
Office shows that since March 4, 1885, 81, S24,-
4Sl acres have been restored tn the public
domain. The sales, entries and selections
OF public land for the fiscal year ended June
30 1881, embrace %, III, 400 acres, and of In
! dlau lands l45, 90 acres, making total of
p. o5o, O3S acres, being an increase over the
! year 1886 of 3, 733, #74 acres, and an Increase
CT 1, So, l24 acres as compared with the fiscal
/ year 1850. Ihs receipts from the diEpOsals
D OF the public lands are SlU, 723, 92l; from
sales OF indiln lands, 81, 4S4 3J2, a total OF
/ SLziz0o, zztI beng an Increase as compared
/ Of S3.646, 625 as compared with
/ the fiscal year 1885, TO which is TO be added
1921 received on account of timber dspre-
daIluus and 81, EL5 received for certified
copies of records furnished by the general
land office, making the tai rec ipts Tor lie
! year from All sources So, IS, Ol6. Here fol
Tvs a statement of the prog ess of the pub
{ nc surveys IN the several public lands states
ind territories. In Arizona, frauds IN favor
Of the Atlantic q Pac fic railroad in block
OF land eighty by one hundred miles, by
which the road Is given ali the good land,
] are alleged by The surveyor general IN his
report to the commissioner. Apparent in
uOcent owners IN this tract, he AYERS,
might easily be shown to merely represent
3 the ROAD. Inc recon- LlGlQHLLQu Is FEuGMEQ
/ that IN early st1gatlOn be made OF the
alleged imperfect and fraudulent surveys IN
I the eastern part of Colorado. The develop
ment OF fraudulent returns says the com
missioner, of swamp lands IN severed sur
Fey heretofore made IN Minnesota, render
a thorough examination Of such lands
! in this state matter Of import
anc6 TO the government and settlers
| Stories Of fraudulent work come also from
/ New Mexico, Nevada and wyoming survey
/ Ors general. The fell examinations, con-
tlnues the report, 'have developed fraudu-
/ lent and defective surveys hE-etOfOre re-
turned 70 an extent which renders apparent
the necessity for an inspection of ali pre-
! ceedlng surveys and JusJlhe5 the conclusion
| reached by this Office TO defer the payment
! OF accounts for past surveys until the true
/ character OF the work shall have been ascer-
/ tanned" The report briefly reviews the work
/ Of the surveyors general Of Arizona, Cali
florida and New Mexico in examining
1 private land claims. About forty claims
in New Mexico were examined and in
nearly every instance the surveyor gen
| eral recommends their rejection, principally
/ on the ground Of fraud or non-cOm liza &c
with the law. Many were found to cover n
area several times as large as that of the
/ original grant In discussing the swamp
] land grants, the commissioner says that
claims under these grants have already
reached the enormous amount Of nearly
| $780, 90 acres and that patents
have been issued for nearly 56,745, COO acres.
% .uring the past year." says the commits
si0ner swamp land claims have been made
the subject Of thorough investigation. These
Investigations have demonstrated the Iact
that many of them are fraudu-
lent, the charter Of the land being
misrepresentsd." On the subject of the
forfeiture of railroad land grants,
the commissioner quotes from his last an
nuaI report and adds: 81 renew the rec
OmmendatiOn that forfeiture be declared IN
all cases in which the roads we're not COM
pleted within the time and in the manner
conditioned IN the respective gran 81 OF
fraudulent land entries, the commissioner
says that the Investigations OF the past year
have been satisfactory ana that IN
work been done. As result 2,3l2
entries, covering about $1,000 acres, were
held for cancellation, and = l53 entries,
covering about 1870 acres, were cancelled
for fraud. This subject the commissioners
Pursues at some length. He -ays; such
| record Of crime as that shown by the in
vestigatiOns made by special agents during
the last two years Is rarely TO be found.
Bold, reckless and gigantic schemes to rob
the government Gifts lands have been dis
covered and exposed IN every state and ter
EitOry containing public lands, and think
I can truthfully say in every land district
and county which a special agent has
visited"
On the subject of ssReform in Public Land
Laws" the commissioner says; 'NhaU Is
needed, III my opinion Is an entire refOr-
nation of existing laws, retaining an absO-
lutte homestead law, and Obselutlug all other
forms of disposal of agricul-
tural lands. Actual residence, improvement
and cultivation for the homestead period of
/ five years should be the exclusive condition
of acquiring titles to such lands. 1t would
also appear that the time has arrived when
the privilege of apprOpriating public lands
should be confined 70 citizens OF TIE United
States"